House Approves Foreign Surveillance Bill

Statement

House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn today released the following statement regarding passage of H.R. 3773, the RESTORE Act, legislation governing the electronic surveillance of foreign terrorism suspects.

"Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the RESTORE Act, critical national security legislation that gives the intelligence community the tools it needs to protect our country while upholding constitutional protections for all Americans. The RESTORE Act updates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and provides additional assistance to those federal agencies charged with tracking down terrorists, weapons proliferators, and spies.

The RESTORE Act is a carefully crafted measure that will strengthen our surveillance efforts while at the same time protecting innocent Americans from warrantless eavesdropping. Specifically, the legislation eliminates the requirement for individual court orders for non-US persons outside the United States, while requiring FISA orders for Americans. H.R. 3773 grants the Attorney General and DNI authority to apply to the FISA Court for a block order to conduct surveillance on large groups of foreign targets for up to one year.

Since regaining majorities in the House and Senate, Congressional Democrats have sought a New Direction in strengthening our nation's homeland security by enhancing security at our ports and aggressively targeting those foreign elements who seek to do us harm. We will continue to pass legislation that safeguards our borders and protects our interests abroad."

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